Wareham man charged with human trafficking at Woburn hotel

A Wareham man was arraigned and charged with human trafficking and operating a prostitution service out of a Woburn hotel, according to authorities.

Antoine Harris, 43, of Wareham, was held on $1,000 cash bail Tuesday until his next scheduled hearing in Middlesex Superior Court on March 7.

“This is an example of a disturbing and growing trend of websites that use classified advertisements to solicit sexual services,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said.

Last August, members of the Woburn Vice and Narcotics Unit conducted an undercover investigation into an online prostitution service, successfully setting up a meeting with a sex worker through a series of calls and text messages, authorities said.

They agreed to meet in a Woburn hotel room, where police surveillance teams saw the woman being escorted through the hotel parking lot by Harris, police said.

According to authorities, Harris had set up counter-surveillance outside of the room where they scheduled to meet. Harris spotted the police surveillance team and attempted leave the scene in a car before police stopped him in the hotel parking lot. Police later discovered the hotel room was reserved under Harris’s name.

“This case highlights the importance of online vigilance by law enforcement officials as human trafficking cases are not always easy to identify and they may often present as incidents of prostitution or sexual assault,” Ryan said.

In Feb. 2012, “An Act Relative to the Commercial Exploitation of People” went into effect in Massachusetts. The law targets all aspects of human trafficking, strengthening penalties for human trafficking-related crimes, especially those that involve youths.

According to the International Labour Organization, more than 20 million people worldwide are victims of forced labor and sex trafficking.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.